Book 2, Sequel to "The Concubine's Apprentice"
"Are you done?"
Her blood ran cold as she realized she wasn't alone. She looked up and through the reflection, she saw the source of her suffering, the bane of her existence.
Her mentor.
"Ye...
Head Eunuch Kim walked through the bustling streets of the Capital City with hurried, determined strides. He was on a very important mission that the Fire Lord had personally tasked him with.
A few passers-by looked in his direction, wondering why the head eunuch was outside the palace, but after a few seconds of speculation, they shrugged and went on their own way.
He finally reached the doors of the troupe quarters. A group of entertainers at the entrance saw him, whispering amongst themselves, giggling and throwing come-hither looks at him. "Good evening, sir." One of them stepped forward, holding a fan to her chest and bowing deeply. "For business or pleasure?" She purred as she looked back up, a seductive smile playing on her plump pink lips.
"Business." He replied curtly, averting his eyes from her before he got fully distracted from the task at hand. "I am here to retrieve Lady Chiyo upon the Fire Lord's orders."
"Chiyo?" The woman tilted her head innocently to the side. "I'm afraid she isn't here, sir. But I am," She grinned and stepped closer, making the eunuch take two steps back. "Maybe I can be of service to the young Fire Lord while Chiyo isn't here."
"I-I'm sorry, my Lady, but that is not possible. Do you know of Lady Chiyo's whereabouts then?"
She threw her head back in laughter before extending a fair hand towards him. "And do you think that information is free?"
Kim tutted and retrieved a generous string of coins from within his sleeves, dropping them in the woman's awaiting palm. "Now answer me, where is Lady Chiyo?"
She tucked the money into her robes hastily and grinned. "Chiyo is out of town. She's somewhere in the Western Earth Kingdom preparing for her coming-of-age—"
"That's what the others told me last week," Kim interrupted her, getting more and more impatient. "And the week before that, another entertainer said that she was in Ba Sing Se. But I have checked the reports on every Fire Nation dock and harbor for the last month. There has been no such record of Lady Chiyo leaving the Capital City."
"And what are you implying? That we are hiding her here in the Salinja troupe quarters?"
"Aren't you?"
The woman showed no signs of wavering nor any flustered expression as she smiled and bowed once more. "I have said what I know and that is all that I can offer in terms of business. If you do wish to know more, why don't you come inside and have a cup of tea with us? See for yourself. Maybe we aren't as innocent as you think we are."
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After their first dinner date in weeks, Mai and Kei Lo left the eatery to take a leisurely stroll back to the flower shop that belonged to Mai's aunt.
They had left their old home, and along with it, they left Ukano. Michi, Mai's mother, had had the last straw and finally stood her ground, finding the strength to leave her husband for good. They sought refuge with Michi's sister who gladly took them in.
